Page 42 of A French Adventure
Topsy whined after he’d left and turned to look at Olivia as much as to say, ‘He’s gone without me.’
Olivia laughed and sat on the floor to cuddle her. ‘We’ll see him later,’ she promised, hoping that Thierry would have squared it with Maxine. It was too soon to leave Topsy on her own.
Two hours later, she clipped Topsy’s lead on and the two of them walked to L’Abri, with Olivia secretly looking forward to her maman’s reaction when she met Topsy and realised that she’d bought the dog for Thierry.
Maxine and Thierry hung the fairy lights around the garden again ready for the party.
‘Why don’t you leave them up all year?’ Thierry said.
‘I think I will, such a nuisance taking them down all the time.’ Maxine smiled. ‘They certainly add a festive touch to the garden. Do you want party balloons? If you do, you’ll have to blow them up.’
Thierry shook his head. ‘I think I’m far too old for balloons. Besides, with Topsy coming, I’d hate for one to burst and frighten her. She’s a lovely dog.’
‘You sound delighted to have had a pet thrust on you without notice,’ Maxine said.
‘I’ve wanted a dog for a long time and sharing her with Olivia, although she doesn’t know it yet, is the perfect arrangement for me.’
Maxine gave him a look. ‘Maybe she knew exactly what she was doing.’
‘In that case, I’m even happier,’ Thierry said as the front doorbell buzzed.
‘That will be Felicity and Trent with your cake. I’ll let them in, you stay here. You’re not allowed to see your cake before we light the candles.’
Thierry groaned. ‘That will be a fire hazard.D’accord.I’ll start the music.’
Vivienne and Olivia arrived together soon afterwards and Topsy was immediately the centre of attention.
‘You bought the dog for yourself?’ Felicity said, looking at Olivia. ‘Why didn’t you say that’s what you were doing?’
‘I bought it for Thierry, not me,’ Olivia said. ‘But we’ve decided to share her until Thierry has a place of his own.’
From the look that Felicity gave her, Olivia knew her maman would be silently digesting that piece of information. She was glad that she and Thierry had decided to keep the news of their business partnership quiet, until it was a signed deal.
A quieter piece of music was streaming from Thierry’s laptop as Felicity carefully carried out the cake with its burning candles and placed it on the table. Just as everyone drew breath ready to sing ‘Happy Birthday’, the doorbell buzzed.
Thierry quickly blew out the candles before turning to Maxine.
‘I’ll go. You stay here. Hope it’s not the neighbours complaining about the noise,’ he joked.
A young woman was standing in front of the doorway when he opened the door and Thierry’s heart hammered. Tonight was not a good night for this to happen. He knew without asking who this woman was, the likeness was there in her eyes. He also knew Maxine was not keen on surprises. Before she spoke, Thierry was already wondering how to handle this unexpected guest situation.
‘Is this the house of Maxine Zonszain?’ the woman asked in French.
‘Yes,’ Thierry answered. ‘Am I right in thinking you are Leonie Toussaint, Maxine’s daughter?’
The woman gave a surprised nod. ‘She’s told you about me?’
Thierry nodded and smiled. ‘Yes. Do come in and I will take you to Maxine.’
Leonie stepped into the cottage, but hesitated as she heard the sound of music and chatter. ‘You are having a party? Perhaps tonight is not a good time. I come back tomorrow.’
‘No, not lots of people, just a few friends,’ Thierry said, doing a quick head-count. ‘Six people including me – I’m Thierry Zonszain by the way.’
Leonie stepped back, staring at him. ‘I did not know she had a son.’
‘Stepson. Maxine married my father eight years ago. Now…’ Thierry paused, coming to a decision. ‘I think it better for me to fetch Maxine and the two of you meet privately, yes?’
Leonie gave him a grateful look. ‘Please.’
